Lost and saved
by mimnim
Summary: Splinter has been captured by shredder! Leo, Raph, Donnie and Mikey must save him! And if they do, how can they cope with the stress from knowing that he may die at any moment!
1. Chapter 1

Lost!

Raph hit the punching bag again. He tried to ignor his worries, but they kept coming back. Where was Splinter? They had to find him.

Raph walked towarsd the lair entrance.

"Where are you going?" asked Leo.

"To the surface, I'm done with wating!" repied Raph, crossly.

"No, It's to dangerouse," said Leo, stepping infront of Raph.

"Get out of the way, Leo!" shouted Raph. But Leo didn't budge. So Raph got ready to fight.

"Guys, please stop it," whimpered Mikey, "Fighting amongst ourselveswon't help Splinter,"

"Mikey's right," said Raph,"instead of fighting, you should just get out of my way!"

"being seen won't help Splinter either!" replied Leo.

"Leo, maybe Raph is right, staying down here won't help Splinter," said Donnie. Mikey nodded

"Well we should at least wait till it's dark," said Leo, defeated, "there isn't much we can do while itls still light,"

Dundundundun! Donnie's phone rang. He talkedd for a few moments, gasped, talked some more, and hung up.

"Who was that?" asked Mikey.

"Apil and Casey, they know where Splinter is!" said Donnie.

Silence followed.

Diffrent thoughts were going through each of the turtles heads. Leo was relieved, and worried at the same time.

Raph was woindering if it was a joke, but he looked at Donnie's face, and realised that he was serious.

Mikey was shouting, Splinter, Splinter, inside his head, releived that they had a lead, but reconising the fact they would have to act.

Donnie was wanting to kiss April for bearing such good news.

"So?" asked Raph.

"So what?"asked Donnie.

"He's asking you were Splinter is, Duh," exclaimed Mikey.

"Oh, right. He's in a secret base of Shredder's,"

"How do April andCasey know this?" asked Leo, suddenely.

"April dropped a tracking device I gave her on a foot,"

Raph made his way, round Leo towards the exit. "What are we waiting for?" asked Raph.

"For dark. It's still not safe for us to go up in the daylight, Splinter or no Splinter," replied Leo.

Raph groaned and threw a size at the dummy, before walking over and retreiving it.


	2. Chapter 2 and 3

"Why are we down here again?" asked Raph. The turtles were in still in the sewers, though they were a long way from the lair.

"So that we can try and get into Shredder's base through the sewage!" replied Donnie, crossly.

"Let's go over the plan one more time," said Leo

"Do we have to?" whined Mikey.

"Yes,"

" there's no point, Leo, we get in there, bust some foot bots, save Splinter and get out," said Raph.

"Well, OK, Donnie can you take Mikey and secure us an escape route to the surface, Splinter mey not be in a state to swim, and Raph you come with me," Leo held his breath and jumped into a deep pool of murkey water.

"Why am I with you?" said Donnie to Mikey before jumping in after Leo.

"After you, genius," said Raph to whom Mikey was pulling a face. And with that, Mikey pushed Raph in, then jumped in himself.

The water was dark and cloudy, but the turtles soon found a channel that was headinng in the derection that they needed to go.  
The channel became smaller and smaller, till they could only just squeez through.  
Suddenely, leo fell into a sought of room. The others followed.

Donnie realised that they were in a boiler, as the water was a whhole lot cleaner. He motioned for Raph to bust it, wich Raph did.

Suddenely, all the turtles could breath again. they burst out of the boiler room and into a corridor.

"guys, we are in Shredders lair," muttered Donnie in or.

The corridor was slightly sloped, so Donnie and Mikey made their wway upwards, and Leo with Raph made their way down.

After what seemed like forever, Leo and Raph found some foot clan robots.

They fought, and it looked like they were going to win the fight.

Only then more foot bots came.

"Retreat!" Leo shouted at Raph.

Both the turtles Retreated down different corridors, but neither of them noticed till it was to late.  
Suddenly Raph's phone buzzed. He had received a text from Leo.

LEO'S TEXT  
Raph, find Splinter, then we can meetup, wherever Splinter is.

Raph ran down his corridor, rounded a corner, and almost bashed into a door.

He busted it down, and found himself in a long room, with a high ceiling. There were sort of weapons on the walls.  
On closer inspection, to Raph's horror, he found that they were torture weapons. Each of them had a diagram showing how they were to be used, and a lot of them had ticks next to them. Raph did not want to think about what that meant, but he knew that it probably meant that that had been used on Splinter.  
Raph looked the other way, only to find himself staring at a horrible diagram, explaining how to cause the most pain using a knife. He phone buzzed again.  
TEXT  
Where r u? Found Splinter nearby to were we were separated, Leo.

Raph ran to the other side of the room, and pushed down another door. He found himself in the same cell as Splinter. Leo was trying to figure out how to free Splinter, who's wrist s were chained to the wall.  
Raph grabbed Leo's kantana, and cut the chain.

"Are you OK Raph?"asked Leo, noticing how shaken Raph looked.

"'M fine" mumbled Raph, carefully lowering Splinter's limp body down from where he had been hanging. Raph could feel Splinter's pulse so he knew that he was alive, if unconscious and badly hurt.

Together Raph and Leo supported Splinter towards the exit.  
"It's a good thing that Donnie and Mikey are finding another exit," panted Leo.  
Raph just nodded. He was not in the mood to talk.

Suddenely an alarm blared somewhere in the building.

Chapter 3

Donnie and Mikey made their way up the passage. They soon came to a door, and then into what seemed to be the head quarters of the secret base.

"Look there's a window!" pointed out Mikey exitedly.

"shhhhhhh" replied Donnie. Now that they had found an escape route they sat down to wait.

Suddenly Donnie recied a text.

TEXT:

Found Splinter waiting for Raph,

Leo

"Leo has Splinter!" said Donnie, exited.

"That's great!" exclaimed Mikey, "does that mean that we don't have to wait much longer?!"

"Maybe..." Donnie went quiet, lost deep in thought.

"Oh man, I'm sooo bored," complained Mikey, looking around. His eyes fell on a red button.

"Don't touch that Mikey!" warned Donnie, following his gaze.

"Must not touch button," muttered Mikey to himself. He imagined the button laughing at him, while chanting: you can't touch me, you can't touch me!

He couldn't resist; the temptation was to much, he slowly, carefully, let his finger approach the button. He could feel it's smooth edge. Donnie was looking the other way, he pushed.

BLABLABLABLA BLA!

"What did you do?!" said Donnie, wising round and covering his ears because of the noise.

His phone rang, and Donnie picked it up with one hand.

"WHAT DID YOU DO MIKEY!?" came Raph and Leo's angry voices from the phone.

"Nothing," replied Mikey, but his voice was drowned out by the alarm.

"DONNIE, WE ARE DOWNSTAIRS, COME MEET US!" yelled Leo.

Just then, a lot of foot bots appeared.

The tow brothers drew their weapons and began to fight.

They punched and dodged, they sliced and eluded, slowly advancing towards the door, trying to clear a passage, for when Leo, Raph and Splinter came.

Suddenly, Donnie saw Leo and Raph coming up the passage, carrying an unconscious and possibly dead Splinter. Donnie pointed this out to Mikey, who was engaged in combat, and ran to help. The first thing he did was check Splinter's pulse; he was still alive. Relief flooded through him, but they had not escaped yet.

With all four brothers fighting they soon managed to get to the window and escape.

They had no pursuers; there were no robots left to pursue them.


	3. Chapter 4 and 5

Leo and Raph gently put Splinter down in a makeshift bed, that Donnie had put in his lab.

"Will he be OK," whimpered Mikey.

"Donnie?"Leo's voice was thick with worry.

" You guys had better get cleaned up, "said Donnie, trying to avoid answering the un-asked question that hang in the air: would Splinter live?

Leo and Raph went to the bathroom to wash off all the blood they had on their arms. They were not actually hurt, but Splinter had had blood soaking through his cloak.

" Are you shore that your OK Raph? You've been awfully quiet," Leo was really worried about his younger brother now, his fighting had been slightly off, and he had been extremely quiet not even snapping at Mikey. Raph did not Leo to know what he had seen, so he just shrugged and passed him a flannel.

"I said 'm fine" he mumbled. When they had finished washing, they went back to Donnie's lab.

Splinter was still the bed, though now his torso (and back) were wrapped in bandages. Donnie was sitting beside the bed, trying to get the cuffs off. When Raph had cut the chains, he had not touched the cuffs themselves. Donnie did not understand it. The cuffs had no locks, or hinges, no way they could have come on, and even less of a way that they could come of.

"How on earth did Shredder get these on!?" Ask-shouted Donnie.

"He melted them on," muttered Raph. Every turtle looked at Raph. Raph looked at his feet. He kept trying to forget what he had seen, but he couldn't.

"Well then," said Leo," we will have to cut them off,"

"can't we just melt them off? "sniffled Mikey.

" Not without hurting him a whole lot more," replied Donnie.

Later that night. Donnie worked furiously trying to get Splinter into a stable condition. He was doing everything he could think of, but he kept encountering more problems.

Some roaches had got into some of the medecin, so he had to find some emergency stuff, that was stored somewhere safer, for example.

It was passed midnight, and Donnie had made the others go to bed; he concentrated better on his own, and they needed to sleep. After a while though, there was nothing more he could do till the morning. He though about going to bed but he did not want to leave Splinter alone. He sat down on the floor, by the bed, and silently cried. He had needed to push his emotions away before, but now he just let them flow. He had not told his brothers everything that he had found, for it gave him an idea of what Shredder had done, which his brothers did not need.

Suddenly Donnie heard a moan. It came from Splinter! Splinter was alive and conscious! Donnie, twisted round and saw that Splinter's eyes were open.

"Donnettelo? " Splinter's voice was extremely quiet, barely more than a murmer.

"Master," Donnie lent over and hugged

"you are alive? And your brothers?" Splinter's voice was hopeful.

"Yes, yes we're all fine, we are more worried about you,"

Splinter winced at the reminder, as another waive of pain hit him.

" the Shredder told me you were dead," he sighed.

Donnie hugged him tighter, though he was still careful not to hurt Splinter. Eventually they both fell asleep and Donnie gently slipped back onto the floor.

Chapter 5

EXTRACT FROM APRIL'S DIARY

I'm so glad that Splinter's been found. But if you walked into the lair, you wouldn't know it. The air is so tense that it's hard to breath! The reason: though Splinter has been found he's very badly injured. To say the least. Donnie is working really hard just to keep him alive. Apparently he woke once during the night and talked to Donnie, but apart from that he's asleep. Donnie called it a coma I think. I go down to the lake as often as I can, hoping for the treensiest bit of good news. But there never is any. The turtles are so worried that they don't even train. They are also really tired. Raph in particular. I think that he 's having nightmares but he won't admit it. He fell asleep during breakfast one morning though, so he can't be sleeping properly. Donnie would make him go to bed earlier but he has enough on his plate. Leo tries to keep everyone going, ordering pizza that never gets eaten, and getting DVD s that never get watched. Mikey just sits around doing nothing, and being a pain in general. I really hope Splinter gets better soon, or the tension in the air is bound to brake with a bang...


	4. Chapter 6

"What do you mean there's nothing more you can do!" yelled Raph.

"What I mean is that he is a coma and we have no way of waking him!" replied Donnie crossly.

"Isn't there anything we can Donnie?" asked Leo. It had been a week now, since they had saved Splinter, and Donnie had been working extremely hard.

"Apart from watching him, nothing,"

"Even at night, all alone, in your lab..." whimpered Mikey.

"What, you scared of the computer or something!?" Raph stomped of to his room.

"Yes even at night. It's vital that someone is there when he wakes up," Leo replied to Mikey's question.

"Who's gonna do it tonight?" asked Mikey.

"I'm too tired, and Raph needs his sleep, I can tell," Donnie murmered before plodding off to his room and slumping onto his bed, asleep.

Leo looked at Mikey, and Mikey back at Leo.

"You won't be alone, Splinter will be there, even if he is asleep, and can't hear you,"

"What do you mean, can't hear me!?" exclaimed Mikey.

"Do you listen to what people say while your asleep?" asked Leo, wondering off.

"I'm sure Splinter can hear me, how does Donnie know that Splinter's unconscious anyway?" muttered Mikey, walking off to Donnie's lab.

"Hey master," he said, "I'm sure that the others are wrong and that you can hear me,right? 'cause your gonna get better! You have to! Donnie will make sure you do, and we'll keep watching, so when you do wake up, you'll be happy," Splinter did not respond but Mikey continued, partly to fill the silence, and partly to pass the time;

"Usually if we were alone together you would ask me how I was going and I would tell you about everything and anything that came to my head. Like the other day, I found an old prank book that Raph gave me for Christmas one year. I won't do any at the moment, because everyone is stressed as it is, but there were so many good memories in that book. Remember the time I stuffed the freezer so full of water bombs that when you opened it, you got all wet? And the time I filled Leo's kantana holders with glue? They took ages to come out... And that time when I put a mud pie ontop of Raph's door? Or when I I covered Donnie's lab floor in grease so that I could pretend to skate on it? Those were good times, these are still good times, I mean they would be if you were awake..." Mikey trailed off into silence again...

SPLINTER'S POV (point of view)

Pain. That was all I knew. I sometimes heard mutterings of voices, probably those of my sons, but they always dissolved back into pain.  
At least they were alive. Once when Donatello had given me an anesthetic, I woke up, and he told me that they were fine. I believe him. I have to, that is all that seems to keep me alive. I was so lonely. Suddenly I hear a voice, that of Michelangelo, talking to me. I concentrate, and for the first time since my talk with Donatello I perceive something other than pane. Sound. Michelangelo is talking. Though I cannot make out what he is saying, I vow that from that moment on I will fight. I will fight the pain, and I will see my sons again. I promise.

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE**

 **I have l already been publishing this story on wattpad, but when I realized that people without out an account couldn't read it I decided to post it here as well. This is as far as I've got so you might need to wait about a week or do for the next chapter.**


	5. Chapter 7 and 8

"Guys! Come here!" Leo, Raph, and Mikey all rushed to the lab at Donnie's happy shout. When they got in there they noticed that Splinter's eyes were open. And he was smiling.

"Whoo hoo! Your awake! " shouted Mikey, and gave him a hug (which was difficult as Splinter was lying down).

Raph was smiling for the first time in weeks. Leo moved towards Splinter, to join in the hug (Raph wanted to too, but he moved so slowly that no one noticed,) . Suddenly Splinter flinched, Leo and Mikey immediately backed up.

"Sensei are you alright? " asked Leo.

"It's nothing," replied Splinter.

"You can tell where Raph got his stubbornness from," Mikey muttered to Leo, smirking. His smirk soon disappeared when he saw Donnie's expresion.

Donnie, who was fidgeting, was also looking at his feet.

"What is it Donnie?" asked Raph, his smile disappearing too. Donnie looked at his sensei.

"You can tell them," said Splinter.

"Well... The thing is, that really... "

"what is it Donnie?" asked Leo, suddenly very concerned.

"Just because Splinter's awake, it doesn't mean that he's... Out of the critical area, health wise,... " Donnie finished in a whisper.

"What !?" shouted Raph.

"But you can still save him right? " asked Mikey.

Leo noticed that Splinter had closed his eyes, to save energy and not to have to see all his sons worry about him.

Leo placed his hand on Splinter's shoulder. "Don't worry Sensei, it will be fine, I'm sure,"

Splinter was not actually worried for his own life, he just didn't like it when his sons were worried about him.

LATER THAT DAY

That evening, it was Leo's turn to watch Splinter. Splinter was asleep, and Leo was drifting along the border of consciousness. He wasn't thinking about anything in particular, just letting his thoughts wander, but sleep wouldn't come. A little while later he gave up, and tried to meditate instead. Splinter's regular breathing, reassured him, and gave him something to concentrate on, while riding his mind of all other thought. He soon reached a mediumly good state of meditation, and stayed like that for some while. Till Splinter's breathing quickened. Leo was jerked suddenly out of his stupor, and twisted round to look at Splinter. He was startled to see tears in his Master's eyes.

"Sensei, what is the matter?" he asked, quietly.

"It is of no importance Leonardo," relied Splinter quietly.  
Leo moved next to Splinter's bed, so that he could be near him, and see him propaly .

I thought you were asleep, what woke you? "

"It is nothing of any great importance, you can go back to your meditation," Splinter tried to hide his pain and sadness but Leo knew him too well.

"Master, you're scaring me, you wouldn't cry for no reason, you can tell me why," Leo whispered, while running a hand through Splinter's fur. He loved knowing that Splinter was safe from the Shredder.

Splinter sighed,"I had a nightmare, a memory, of when I was in the Shredder's lair. He told me he had killed you and your brothers... He, he... " Splinter decided not to tell Leonardo about the torture and pain he had been through. He was so glad his sons were alive. He slowly shut his eyes and found peace in Leo's hug. Leo also shut his eyes and eventually fell asleep.

...

It was Raph's turn to watch Splinter all night. Not that it made much difference. He had so many nightmares, that staying up all night would not make much difference to how much he slept.

"Raph are you sure you can do this?" asked Leo, concerned by how tired he looked.  
"You look like you need to sleep,"

"I'm fine Leo, you guys all did your shifts, now it's my turn, it won't really make much difference to how much I sleep anyway," Raph responded. Leo looked at him in concern, and was about to say something, but Raph cut him off.

"Just drop it," He (Raph) said grumpily, then walked slowly to the lab. He knoticed that Splinter was already asleep.

He plonked himself down on the floor, with his back to him, as he couldn't bear to even look at him. Splinter was doing a lot better, he had even been able to sit up for the first time that day, but Raph was still scared. Scared that Splinter might not get better, even with all of Donnie's hard work. Scared of what he knew the Shredder had done to him. He stopped himself right there. He mustn't think of that, as that was were the nightmares came from. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw images of the weapons he had seen being used on Splinter. He saw Splinter, dead, with the Shredder standing over him laughing. Raph shuddered. He wished he could sleep, but he knew he mustn't and that, he would only have nightmares.

Despite that he soon found himself drifting off. Then the nightmare started again...

Splinter was woken up to the sound of crying. He propped himself up on one arm, and noticed that it was Raphael, not very far away, who was making the noise.

"Raphael, my son, what is the matter?" when Raph did not respond for several minutes, Splinter realised that he was sleeping and having a nightmare.

"Raphael, you must wake up, it is just a nightmare, please, wake up,"

Just then Raph woke and turned round,

"Master Splinter?" he spluttered, tears running down his face. Splinter sat up fully, and jestered for Raph to come sit next to him. Raph did, and even returned the hug Splinter gave him.

Raph stayed like that for some time, not being able to bear to let go, all the embarrassment he would usually have had from a hug gone.  
"I, I... " Raph looked up at Splinter.

"It is OK to cry, Raphael, and to have nightmares," Splinter replied, guessing what Raph was about to say.

"But, but, I have them every night!" Raph hid his face on Splinter's shoulder. Splinter grasped him tighter.

"Is it the same one?" Splinter felt Raphael nod.

"What is worrying you my son?" Splinter knew that it must be very bad for Raph to have this reaction. Raph usually the strongest and the bravest one.

" Well when we came to rescue you, from the Shredder, I... I got separated from the others..."

"And?" Splinter asked, when Raph stopped.

"I... I found where Shredder keeps his weapons, I... I know what he did..." Then Splinter understood why Raph was so upset. He had never intended to let his sons know about the horrific torture Shredder had put him through, for he did not want to burden them.

"And... and I'm scared" Raph whispered.

"Of what?"

"Losing you..." Raph started crying harder again, making Splinter's shoulder wetter still.

"Raphael, listen to me, I will always be with you, in here" Splinter pressed his hand on the front of Raph's shell where his heart was.

"It's not the same, we couldn't have... hugs... or talk... or train... together..." Raph hiccoughed threw his tears.

"Master Splinter, do you love me?" hearing that question made Splinter so sad, he felt tears forming in his own eyes. He thought that Raphael knew he loved very much.

"Of course I love you," he whispered back.

"Just as much as Leo?" once again, Splinter was shocked. He had no idea that Raph had so many doubts.

"Of course! I love you all equally, each every one of you," He replied. Raph relaxed and slowly started to fall back asleep.

"I love you too!" Raph whispered before finally falling asleep, peacefully, for the first time in weeks. Splinter sighed contently. He was glad his son had found some peace at last.

Slowly he too fell asleep.

...


End file.
